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Koon Holdings Limited Independent Expert Report and
Financial Services Guide
3 April 2017
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3 April 2017
The Directors
Koon Holdings Limited
11 Sixth Lok Yang Road
Singapore 628109
Dear Sirs,
Koon Holdings Limited Independent Expert’s Report: Batam Joint Venture Agreement
Introduction
The Directors of Koon Holdings Limited (“Directors” and “Koon” or the “Company”
respectively) have engaged William Buck Corporate Advisory Services (NSW) Pty
Limited (“William Buck” or “we” or “us” or “our” as appropriate) to prepare an
Independent Expert’s Report (“Report”) in relation the joint venture established in
March 2014 with ASL Marine Holdings Ltd (“ASL”) for the establishment and
operation of a precast concrete plant in Batam, Indonesia (the “Joint Venture”).
In November 2012, Koon obtained a waiver from the Australian Securities Exchange
(“ASX”) permitting the Company to order precast concrete products from the Batam
concrete plant (“Batam JV”) for a period of three years from the date shareholder
approval was obtained under ASX Listing Rule 10.1 (“ASX Waiver”) on the following
conditions:
— the Company obtain shareholder approval for the joint venture in accordance
with ASX Listing Rule 10.1;
— the commercial terms of the joint venture are the same, in all material respects,
as the terms of similar agreements with non-related parties such that the
agreements are no more favourable to the parties to the joint venure than to
non-related parties; and
— the Company includes in each annual report a summary of the transactions
conducted by Batam JV.
Shareholder approval under ASX Listing Rule 10.1 was originally obtained 29 April
2014 and the ASX Waiver applied for a period of three years from this date.
Consequently, Koon will seek re-approval of the Joint Venture by shareholders at
this year’s annual general meeting in addition to approval of a number of changes to
the operating structure of the Joint Venture that have been agreed between Koon
and ASL.
Further details are set out in Section 1.1 of this Report.
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Purpose of Report
ASX Listing Rule 10.1
ASX Listing Rule 10.1 provides that an entity must ensure neither it, nor any of its child entities,
acquires a substantial asset from, or disposes of a substantial asset to, inter alia, a related party of
a substantial holder or an associate of them. The purpose of ASX Listing Rule 10.1 is to ensure
that a person of influence cannot benefit from a significant acquisition or disposal involving the
listed entity.
Mr Ang Sin Liu is the Non-Executive Chairman of Koon and Mr Ang Ah Nui is a Non-Executive
Director of Koon. Mr Ang Sin Liu is the father of Mr Ang Ah Nui. Mr Ang Sin Liu and Mr Ang Ah
Nui have an aggregate interest of 53.68% of the share capital of Koon and other immediate family
members have an interest of approximately 0.11% of the share capital of Koon.
Mr Ang Sin Liu and Mr Ang Ah Nui are shareholders of ASL holding holding 10.79% (of which
1.47% is held under nominees) and 14.79% (of which 12.31% is held under nominees),
respectively, of the share capital of ASL. Mr Ang Sin Liu and Mr Ang Ah Nui hold an aggregate
interest in ASL of 25.58%, which increases to 67.22% if other immediate family members are also
included in the aggregate interest.
Accordingly, Koon is seeking shareholder approval of the Joint Venture for the purposes of ASX
Listing Rule 10.1. This Report is to accompany the Notice of Annual General Meeting (“NOM”)
being provided to the shareholders of Koon (“Shareholders”) and has been prepared to assist the
Directors in fulfilling their obligation to provide Shareholders with full and proper disclosure so as to
enable them to assess the merits of the Joint Venture and to assist them in their consideration of
whether or not to approve resolutions relating to the Joint Venture.
The purpose of our Report is to express an opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair
and reasonable to the non-associated shareholders of Koon. The non-associated shareholders are
those shareholders in Koon whose votes are not to be disregarded in voting on the resolutions
relating to the Joint Venture (“Non-Associated Shareholders”).
Our Report has been prepared solely for use of the Directors of Koon, and for the purpose set out
herein. William Buck does not accept any responsibility for the use of our Report outside this
purpose. Except in accordance with the stated purpose, no extract, quote, or copy of our Report, in
whole or in part, should be reproduced without the written consent of William Buck, as to the form
and context in which it may appear.
Scope of Report
The scope of our procedures undertaken have been limited to those procedures we believed are
required in order to form our opinion. Our procedures, in the preparation of this Report, may have
involved an analysis of financial information and accounting records. However, the procedures did
not include verification work nor did they constitute:
— an audit in accordance with AUS;
— an assurance engagement in accordance with ASAE; or
— a review in accordance with ASRE.
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The assessment of whether or not the Joint Venture is fair and reasonable primarily relates to
whether or not the legal and commercial terms of the Joint Venture are no more favourable to
either Koon or ASL (the “Joint Venture Parties”) than would otherwise be obtained through arm’s
length negotiations with independent third parties.
As there is no legal definition of the expression “fair and reasonable” in the Corporations Act 2001
Cth (the “Act”), we have therefore considered guidance provided by ASIC in its Regulatory Guides
(“RG”) in assessing whether the Joint Venture is fair and reasonable from the perspective of the
Non-Associated Shareholders. Specifically, we will have regard to the provisions of the following:
— RG 111: Content of Expert Reports;
— RG 112: Independence of Experts; and
— RG 76: Related party transactions.
RG 111 suggests that, where an expert assesses whether a related party transaction is “fair and
reasonable” for the purposes of ASX Listing Rule 10.1, this should not be applied as a composite
test. That is, there should be a separate assessment of whether the transaction is “fair” and
“reasonable”, as in a control transaction. An expert should not assess whether the transaction is
“fair and reasonable” based simply on a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the
proposal.
We do not consider the Joint Venture to be a control transaction. As such, we have used RG 111
as a guide for our analysis but have considered the Joint Venture as if it were not a control
transaction.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair to the Non-Associated
Shareholders, we have considered the following:
— whether, in all material aspects, the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint
Venture are equivalent or an improvement on the terms that could otherwise have been agreed
at arm’s length between un-related third parties; and
— whether the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are more favourable
to one of the Joint Venture parties than to the other.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair to the Non-Associated
Shareholders, we have also given consideration to RG 76: Related party transactions.
RG 76 sets out ASIC’s guidance regarding disclosure and governance of related party transactions
for public companies and other disclosing entities.
RG 76 provides guidance for companies to consider whether or not transactions with related
parties reflect ‘arm’s length’ terms. RG 76 requires consideration of the following factors:
— how the terms of the transaction compare with comparable arm’s length transactions;
— the nature and content of the bargaining process;
— the impact of the transaction on the company;
— other options available to the company; and
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— expert advice received by the entity.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is reasonable to the Non-Associated
Shareholders, we have considered the following:
— the advantages and disadvantages to the Non-Associated Shareholders if the Joint Venture is
approved; and
— the advantages and disadvantages to the Non-Associated Shareholders if the Joint Venture is
not approved.
In our opinion, the Joint Venture is to be judged in terms of its overall effect. It is not meaningful to
assess the individual elements of the Joint Venture separately.
Information
This Report is based upon financial and other information provided by Koon and ASL. A list of
specific documents referred to and relied upon in the preparation of our Report has been included
at Appendix A. A listing of defined terms and abbreviations used in this Report is set out in
Appendix B.
We have considered and relied upon this information. We believe the information provided to be
reliable, complete and not misleading, and have no reason to believe that any material facts have
been withheld. The information provided was evaluated through analysis, inquiry and review for
the purpose of forming an opinion as to whether the Joint Venture is fair and reasonable.
We do not warrant that our inquiries have identified or verified all of the matters which an audit,
extensive examination or “due diligence” investigation might disclose. In any event, an opinion as
to whether a corporate transaction is fair and reasonable is in the nature of an overall opinion
rather than an audit or detailed investigation.
We reserve the right to review and amend all calculations and opinions included or referred to in
our Report and, if we consider it necessary, to revise our Report in light of any information which
becomes known to us after the date of the Report or if additional information not referred to in
Appendix A is provided to us.
We note that an important part of the information base used in forming an opinion of the kind set
out in this Report, consists of opinions and judgements of management. This type of information
has been evaluated through analysis, enquiry and review to the extent practical. Often it is not
possible, however, to externally verify or validate such information.
The statements and opinions expressed in this Report are made in good faith and have been
based on information available as at the date of this Report. On completion of our review, we
believe the information to be reliable, accurate, and prepared on a reasonable basis.
The opinions of William Buck are based on prevailing market, economic and other conditions at the
date of this Report. Conditions can change over relatively short periods of time. Any subsequent
changes in these conditions could impact upon our opinion.
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Prospective Financial Information
The information reviewed included high level prospective financial information with respect to the
Joint Venture. The achievability of the prospective financial information is not warranted or
guaranteed by either Koon, ASL or William Buck.
In our opinion, given the way in which we have used prospective financial information regarding the
Joint Venture in this Report, detailed disclosure of forecasts for the Joint Venture would unduly
focus the attention of this Report on those forecasts, rather than on our opinion of the fairness and
reasonableness of the Joint Venture.
Further, the Directors of Koon are of the view that detailed disclosure of financial forecasts for the
Joint Venture would release commercially sensitive information regarding Koon’s business plans to
competitors and would not be in the interests of Koon or its shareholders.
For the above reasons, we have included prospective financial information regarding the Joint
Venture in an illustrative format only in this Report.
Qualifications and Independence
Details of the experience and qualifications of the William Buck staff responsible for the preparation
of this Report and independence of William Buck in connection Koon, ASL and the Joint Venture
which is the subject of this Report are set out in Section 8 of this Report.
Summary of Opinion
We have considered the terms of the Joint Venture and conclude that the Joint Venture is both fair
and reasonable to the Non-Associated Shareholders of Koon.
Fairness Considerations
Based on our analysis, we set out below a summary of our opinion in respect of the Joint Venture.
Our fairness opinion is focused on an analysis of the following factors:
— whether, in all material aspects, the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint
Venture are equivalent or an improvement on the terms that could otherwise have been agreed
at arm’s length between un-related third parties; and
— whether the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are more favourable
to one of the Joint Venture parties than to the other.
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Table 1 – Joint Venture Fairness Assessment Summary
Identified
Areas
of Risk
Key Risk Summary of Findings
Joint Venture
Corporate and
Capital Structure
(Section 6.2)
— Inequality between the Joint
Venture Parties with regards to
capital structure, voting rights,
board representation and
commitment to ongoing funding
requirements of the Joint
Venture.
— Our review of Sindo-Econ’s capital structure, voting
rights, board representation and funding
requirements does not indicate any inequality
between the Joint Venture parties.
Koon Agency Fee
(Section 6.3)
— The key risk with respect to the
Econ Precast Agency Fee is
that if it is set too low, the fee
risks transfer of excess
profitability into the Joint
Venture and consequently, to
ASL through ASL’s interest in
the Joint Venture.
— The operating structure of the Joint Venture has
been revised and streamlined. However, Koon’s
interest in external customer sales has remained
unchanged at around 8% before sharing in the profit
/ loss of the Joint Venture.
— Analysis presented in the March 2014 IER
demonstrated that Koon’s agency fees had been
agreed at a level which maximised profitability to
Koon while maintaining sufficient profitability in the
Joint Venture for those entities to continue as going
concerns and maintain debt serviceability.
Transportation
Agreement
Assessment
(Section 6.4)
— Value transfer to either of the
Joint Venture Parties if the Joint
Venture pays higher than a
market rate for the shipping of
raw materials to Batam and
finished precast goods from
Batam to Singapore.
— Koon and ASL are now providing marine transport
to the Joint Venture on identical terms and pricing.
Koon management estimates that ASLOM and
Econ Precast will each provide approximately 50%
of the Joint Venture’s marine transport
requirements.
— Additionally, comparable shipping quotes obtained
by Koon demonstrate that the shipping rate per
trailer being charged to the Joint Venture provide
better pricing than could otherwise have been
obtained by through negotiation with independent
third parties.
Land Lease
Agreement
Assessment
(Section 6.5)
— Value transfer to ASL if the Joint
Venture pays higher than a
market rental for the Batam
production site.
— The majority of site rental cost incurred by the Joint
Venture in Batam is consistent with the market rent
assessment provided by KJPP. Sarwono, Indrastuti
& Rekan in the March 2014 IER. Consequently, it
does not appear that Batam JV will pay greater than
a market rate of rent through the lease agreements
it has entered into with PTCIS.
Source: William Buck analysis
Accordingly, in our opinion, the Joint Venture is considered fair from the perspective of the Non-
Associated Shareholders of Koon.
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Assessment of Reasonableness of the Joint Venture
We have considered the following factors in determining whether or not the Joint Venture is
reasonable to the Non-Associated Shareholders of Koon.
Advantages of approving the Joint Venture
The following may be considered advantages of approving the Joint Venture:
— Terms are fair: The terms of the Joint Venture are “fair”;
— Access to additional production capacity: The Joint Venture has significantly increased
Koon’s precast production capacity which Koon uses to service customer demand for precast
products in excess of current production capacity;
— Diversification of production capacity: The Joint Venture has resulted in geographical
diversification of Koon’s precast production capacity, reducing reliance on individual production
sites and the risk associated with production issues at individual sites;
— Potential pricing advantage through arrangements with ASL: Particularly with regards to
the Transportation Agreements, the terms at which the Joint Venture will acquire services from
ASL appear favourable in comparison with market rates; and
— Potential to increase market capitalisation: The production capacity to be provided by the
Joint Venture is planned to enable Koon to increase precast revenues and profitability.
Increased precast revenues and profitability may increase Koon’s share price and market
capitalisation.
Disadvantages of approving the Joint Venture
The following may be considered disadvantages of approving the Proposed Transaction:
— Sharing of profits: In comparison with Koon’s existing precast production operations which
are wholly owned by Koon, a portion of the profits in relation to sales of precast products
produced by the Joint Venture will be shared with ASL
Advantages and disadvantages of not implementing the Joint Venture
In our view, the significant advantages or disadvantages of rejecting the Joint Venture include the
reverse of the matters noted above.
In our opinion, based on a consideration of the above, the Joint Venture is considered reasonable
from the perspective of the Non-Associated Shareholders of Koon as:
— on balance, the advantages of approving the Joint Venture outweigh the disadvantages of
approving it to the Non-Associated Shareholders; and
— on balance, the disadvantages of rejecting the Joint Venture outweigh the advantages of
rejecting it to the Non-Associated Shareholders.
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General Advice and Other
General advice
In forming our opinion, we have considered the interests of the Non-Associated Shareholders as a
whole. This advice therefore does not consider the financial situation, objectives or needs of the
individual Non-Associated Shareholders. It is neither practical nor possible to assess the
implications of the Proposed Transaction on individual Non-Associated Shareholders as their
individual financial circumstances are not known.
Some Non-Associated Shareholders may place a different emphasis on various aspects of the
Joint Venture from that adopted in our Report. Accordingly, individual Non-Associated
Shareholders may reach different conclusions on whether or not the Joint Venture is fair and
reasonable to them and each individual Shareholder must take into account his or her own
circumstances when deciding whether or not to vote in favour or against the resolutions relating to
the Joint Venture. Shareholders should seek their own independent professional advice to assist
them in their decision, taking into account their preferences and expectations.
Other
William Buck is an Authorised Representative under an appropriate Australian Financial Services
Licence. Accordingly, we are required to provide a Financial Services Guide in situations where we
may be taken as providing financial product advice. A copy of William Buck’s Financial Services
Guide is set out in the annexure hereto.
The above opinion should be considered in conjunction with, and not independently of, the
information set out in the remainder of this Report including the appendices.
Yours faithfully, William Buck Corporate Advisory Services (NSW) Pty Limited
ABN 50 133 845 637
Authorised Representative No. 333393
AFSL 240769
Daniel Coote
Director
Mark Calvetti
Director
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Financial Services Guide
Dated: 3 April 2017
William Buck Corporate Advisory Services (NSW) Pty Ltd ABN
50 133 845 637 (“William Buck” or “we” or “us” or “our” as
appropriate) has been engaged to issue general financial
product advice in the form of a report to be provided to you.
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10
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Internal Complaints Resolution Process
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Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 or by telephone on (02) 8263 4000
11
Table of Contents
1. The Joint Venture .................................................................................................................... 13
1.1 Background to the Joint Venture ...................................................................................... 13
1.2 Overview of the Joint Venture .......................................................................................... 13
2. Scope and Limitations ............................................................................................................ 17
2.1 Regulatory Background .................................................................................................... 17
2.2 Purpose and Scope .......................................................................................................... 17
2.3 Basis of Evaluation ........................................................................................................... 18
2.4 Reliance on Information .................................................................................................... 19
2.5 Prospective Financial Information .................................................................................... 20
2.6 Current Market Conditions ................................................................................................ 20
2.7 Sources of Information ...................................................................................................... 20
2.8 Assumptions ..................................................................................................................... 20
3. Economic and Industry Overview.......................................................................................... 22
3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 22
3.2 Overview of General Singaporean Economic Conditions ................................................ 22
3.3 Singaporean Building and Construction Industry ............................................................. 24
4. Profile of Koon Holdings Limited .......................................................................................... 26
4.1 Background and Activities ................................................................................................ 26
4.2 Business Operations ......................................................................................................... 26
4.3 Board of Directors ............................................................................................................. 27
4.4 Capital Structure ............................................................................................................... 27
4.5 Corporate Structure .......................................................................................................... 28
4.6 Financial Performance ...................................................................................................... 29
4.7 Financial Position .............................................................................................................. 30
4.8 Share Price Trading Performance .................................................................................... 32
5. Profile of ASL Marine Holdings Ltd ....................................................................................... 34
5.1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 34
5.2 Business operations ......................................................................................................... 34
5.3 Board of Directors ............................................................................................................. 35
5.4 Capital Structure ............................................................................................................... 35
5.5 Corporate Structure .......................................................................................................... 36
5.6 Financial Performance ...................................................................................................... 37
5.7 Financial Position .............................................................................................................. 38
12
5.8 Share Price Trading Performance .................................................................................... 40
6. Assessment of the terms of the Joint Venture ..................................................................... 42
6.1 Fairness Assessment ....................................................................................................... 42
6.2 Joint Venture Corporate and Capital Structure ................................................................ 42
6.3 Koon Agency Fee ............................................................................................................. 43
6.4 Transportation Agreement Assessment ........................................................................... 45
6.5 Land Lease Agreement Assessment ................................................................................ 46
7. Evaluation of the Joint Venture ............................................................................................. 48
7.1 Basis of the Evaluation of the Joint Venture ..................................................................... 48
7.2 Assessment of Fairness of the Joint Venture ................................................................... 48
7.3 Assessment of Reasonableness of the Joint Venture ...................................................... 49
7.4 Conclusion on Joint Venture ............................................................................................. 50
8. Qualifications ........................................................................................................................... 51
8.1 Qualifications .................................................................................................................... 51
8.2 Independence and Declarations ....................................................................................... 51
9. Appendices .............................................................................................................................. 53
9.1 Appendix A – Sources of Information ............................................................................... 53
9.2 Appendix B – Abbreviations and Definitions..................................................................... 54
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1. The Joint Venture
1.1 Background to the Joint Venture
Koon moved into the upstream precast concrete (“Precast”) industry through the acquisitions of
Econ Precast Pte Ltd (“Econ Precast”) and Contech Precast Pte Ltd (“Contech Precast”) in 2010.
The addition of the Precast division allowed Koon to provide greater service and product offerings
to its construction customers.
Econ Precast and Contech Precast are approved Precast works suppliers to Singapore’s Housing
and Development Board projects with the highest grading (L6) from Singapore’s Building and
Construction Authority (“BCA”), which allows these companies to tender for Precast works with no
tendering value limit. Koon’s Precast customer base also includes Singapore’s Land Transport
Authority.
Koon manufactures and markets a comprehensive selection of Precast products ranging from
standard reinforced concrete piles to other more complex products including space adding items,
staircase flights integrated with walls and mid-landings, façades with cast-in window frames and
planter boxes.
Econ Precast conducts Precast production operations at production multiple sites in Singapore and
Malaysia.
As part of Koon’s expansion strategy and in order to satisfy high demand from Singaporean
construction projects for Precast products, Koon established a Precast production plant in Batam,
Indonesia. In order to achieve this, Koon entered into a joint venture arrangement, through its
subsidiary Econ Precast, with Intan Overseas Investments Pte Ltd (“IOI”), a subsidiary of ASL (the
“Joint Venture”) in 2012 and shareholder approval of the Joint Venture in its original form was
obtained in April 2014.
ASL was selected by Koon as an appropriate party to partner with for the Joint Venture for two key
reasons:
— ASL owns, or had access to, significant land holdings in Batam, Indonesia, on which to locate a
Precast production plant; and
— ASL specialises in, amongst other things, marine vessel charter and logistics and so plays an
integral role in the transport of raw materials to Batam and finished goods from Batam to
Singapore.
William Buck was engaged by the Directors of Koon to prepare an Independent Expert’s Report,
dated 26 March 2014 in relation to the original form of the Joint Venture (“March 2014 IER”). We
concluded in the March 2014 IER that the original form of the Joint Venture was fair and
reasonable to the non-associated shareholders of Koon. The March 2014 IER is available through
Koon’s website or through the ASX.
1.2 Overview of the Joint Venture
The Joint Venture has two forms: a legal form and a commercial / operating form. These two forms
of the Joint Venture are discussed in turn below.
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1.2.1 Legal form of the Joint Venture
The following figure outlines the legal form of the Joint Venture.
Figure 1 – Joint Venture shareholding structure
Source: Koon ASX announcements on 22 November 2013 and 13 May 2013
As set out in the figure above, the legal form of the Joint Venture takes effect through Koon and
ASL’s respective interests in Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd, which is incorporated in Singapore, and PT
Sindomas Precas, which is incorporated in Indonesia.
Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd
On 13 May 2013, Koon announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Econ Precast had subscribed
for 100,000 ordinary S$1 shares, representing 50% of the issued share capital, of a newly
incorporated joint venture company in Singapore, Sindo-Econ Pte. Ltd. (“Sindo-Econ”). The
remaining 50% of the issued and paid up share capital of Sindo-Econ is held by IOI which is an
investment holding company wholly owned by ASL.
Sindo-Econ was incorporated with equal board representation from Econ Precast and IOI. The
principal activity of Sindo-Econ is the provision of business and management consultancy services.
Sindo-Econ was incorporated to acquire 90% of the issued share capital of PT Sindomas Precas,
and will manage the precast operations of PT Sindomas Precas.
On 14 August 2013, Koon, Econ Precast, ASL and IOI entered into a shareholders’ agreement
(“Shareholders’ Agreement”) which sets out broad intentions of the parties with respect to Sindo-
Econ. Key terms of the Shareholders’ Agreement are as follows:
— Sindo-Econ has been incorporated to acquire 90% of the issued share capital of PT Sindomas
Precas, an Indonesian entity engaged in the business of concrete precast operations;
Koon Holdings LImited
Econ Precast Pte Ltd("Econ Precast")
Singapore
PT Sindomas Precas("Batam JV")
Batam, Indonesia
Intan Overseas InvestmentsPte Ltd("IOI")
Singapore
ASL Marine Holdings Ltd
Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd("Sindo-Econ")
Singapore
100%
90%
50% 50%
5%
100%
5%
15
— At all times, Koon and ASL will each ultimately own exactly 50% of the issued share capital of
Sindo-Econ;
— Two directors of Sindo-Econ will be nominated by Econ Precast and two directors will be
nominated by IOI; and
— Each party will maintain equal amounts of investment, capital outlay, shareholder loans or any
other form of fund injection into or contribution to Sindo-Econ.
PT Sindomas Precas
On 22 November 2013, Koon announced the acquisition of a joint venture company, PT Sindomas
Precas (“Batam JV”), a company incorporated in Indonesia and engaged in the production of
Precast products.
Cash consideration for Batam JV was IDR 1 billion (approximately S$108k) and was paid by Econ
Precast, Sindo-Econ and IOI in the proportions set out in the figure above. The consideration was
based on the unaudited net assets of Batam JV as at 30 September 2013 of S$92,000.
1.2.2 Commercial / Operating form of the Joint Venture
The following figure outlines the commercial / operating form of the Joint Venture.
Figure 2 – Joint Venture commercial / operating structure
Source: Information provided by Koon management
PT Sindomas Precas
("Batam JV")
ASL Offshore & Marine
Pte Ltd ("ASLOM")or
Econ Precast
Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd
("Sindo-Econ")
Econ Precast Pte Ltd ("Econ Precast")
orContech Precast Pte Ltd ("Contech Precast")
PT Cemara Intan Shipyard
("PTCIS")
External
Customers
1
34
5
6
2
Joint
Venture
16
Each of the stages of the commercial / operating form of the Joint Venture are discussed in the
table below.
Table 2 – Joint Venture commercial / operating structure
Econ Precast or Contech Precast will contract with customers to supply precast concrete products.
Econ Precast or Contech Precast will subcontract production of precast concrete products to
Sindo-Econ on an external customer order-by-order basis. As set out in Figure 1, Sindo-Econ is
the Singaporean entity of the Joint Venture. There is no requirement for Econ Precast or Contech
Precast to subcontract precast concrete production to the Joint Venture.
The subcontracting rate between Econ Precast / Contech Precast and Sindo-Econ will be 92% of
the contract price agreed between Econ Precast and the external customer (“Initial Subcontract
Price”). In effect, Econ Precast retains 8% of the external customer contract price as an agency
fee.
Sindo-Econ will subcontract casting of precast concrete products to Batam JV in Indonesia.
Some raw materials, including reinforcing bar, wire mesh, steel strand wire and steel cast-in items,
will be supplied by Sindo-Econ to Batam JV. Sindo-Econ will not charge Batam JV for these items.
The subcontracting rate between Sindo-Econ and Batam JV is decided on a project by project
basis.
Raw materials will be shipped from Singapore to Indonesia and finished goods will be shipped from
Indonesia to Singapore under transportation agreements between Sindo-Econ and either ASL
Offshore & Marine Pte Ltd (“ASLOM”) or Econ Precast. ASLOM is a wholly owned subsidiary of
ASL.
Batam JV will lease the precast production sites in Batam, Indonesia from PT Cemara Intan
Shipyard (“PTCIS”) per the terms of land lease agreement signed between Batam JV and PTCIS
(“Land Lease Agreements”). PTCIS is a wholly owned subsidiary of ASL.
Casting of precast concrete products will be performed by Batam JV at the Batam site. All costs of
production, apart from raw materials to be supplied by Sindo-Econ, shipping fees and rent of plant
and equipment to be supplied by Sindo-Econ, will be borne by Batam JV.
Batam JV costs of production will include labour, other raw materials (cement, sand, aggregate and
concrete), site rental and utilities.
Source: Information provided by Koon management
1
2
3
4
5
6
17
2. Scope and Limitations
2.1 Regulatory Background
ASX Listing Rules
ASX Listing Rule 10.1 provides that an entity must ensure neither it, nor any of its child entities,
acquires a substantial asset from, or disposes of a substantial asset to, inter alia, a related party of
a substantial holder or an associate of them. The purpose of ASX Listing Rule 10.1 is to ensure
that a person of influence cannot benefit from a significant acquisition of disposal involving the
listed entity.
Under ASX Listing Rule 10.2, an asset is substantial if the value of the asset, or the value of the
consideration being paid for it is 5% of more of the Company’s equity interests as set out in the
latest accounts lodged with ASX.
Based on the most recent accounts lodged with ASX, Koon’s equity interests as at 31 December
2016, excluding redeemable preference share capital and outside equity interests, were
S$58,174,000. Accordingly, an asset will be considered substantial if the value of the asset is at
least S$2,908,700, being 5% of the Company’s equity interests. While entering into the Joint
Venture did not itself exceed this threshold, the Company expects that over time the value of its
dealings with the Joint Venture will exceed this threshold.
Mr Ang Sin Liu is the Non-Executive Chairman of Koon and Mr Ang Ah Nui is a Non-Executive
Director of Koon. Mr Ang Sin Liu is the father of Mr Ang Ah Nui. Mr Ang Sin Liu and Mr Ang Ah
Nui have an aggregate interest of 53.68% of the share capital of Koon and other immediate family
members have an interest of approximately 0.11% of the share capital of Koon.
Mr Ang Sin Liu and Mr Ang Ah Nui are also shareholders of ASL holding 10.79% (of which 1.47%
is held under nominees) and 14.79% (of which 12.31% is held under nominees), respectively, of
the share capital of ASL. Mr Ang Sin Liu and Mr Ang Ah Nui hold an aggregate interest in ASL of
25.58%, which increases to 67.22% if other immediate family members are also included in the
aggregate interest.
Accordingly, Koon is seeking shareholder approval of the Joint Venture for the purposes of ASX
Listing Rule 10.1. This Report is to accompany the Notice of Annual General Meeting (“NOM”)
being provided to the shareholders of Koon (“Shareholders”) and has been prepared to assist the
Directors in fulfilling their obligation to provide Shareholders with full and proper disclosure so as to
enable them to assess the merits of the Joint Venture and to assist them in their consideration of
whether or not to approve resolutions relating to the Joint Venture.
2.2 Purpose and Scope
Purpose
William Buck has been appointed by the Directors of Koon to prepare an independent expert’s
report expressing our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair and reasonable to the
non-associated shareholders of Koon. The non-associated shareholders are those shareholders in
Koon whose votes are not to be disregarded in voting on the resolutions relating to the Joint
Venture (“Non-Associated Shareholders”).
18
Our Report has been prepared solely for use of the Directors of Koon, and for the purpose set out
herein. William Buck does not accept any responsibility for the use of our Report outside this
purpose. Except in accordance with the stated purpose, no extract, quote, or copy of our Report, in
whole or in part, should be reproduced without the written consent of William Buck, as to the form
and context in which it may appear.
This Report is to accompany the Notice of Annual General Meeting (“NOM”) being provided to the
shareholders of Koon (“Shareholders”) and has been prepared to assist the Directors in fulfilling
their obligation to provide Shareholders with full and proper disclosure so as to enable them to
assess the merits of the Joint Venture and to assist them in their consideration of whether or not to
approve resolutions relating to the Joint Venture.
Scope
The scope of our procedures undertaken have been limited to those procedures we believed are
required in order to form our opinion. Our procedures, in the preparation of this Report, may have
involved an analysis of financial information and accounting records. However, the procedures did
not include verification work nor did they constitute:
— an audit in accordance with AUS;
— an assurance engagement in accordance with ASAE; or
— a review in accordance with ASRE.
The assessment of whether or not the Joint Venture is fair and reasonable primarily relates to
whether or not the legal and commercial terms of the Joint Venture are no more favourable to
either Koon or ASL (the “Joint Venture Parties”) than would otherwise be obtained through arm’s
length negotiations with independent third parties.
We have not considered the effect of the Joint Venture on the particular circumstances of individual
shareholders. Some individual shareholders may place a different emphasis on various aspects of
the Joint Venture from the one adopted in this Report. Accordingly, individuals may reach different
conclusions on whether or not the Proposed Transaction is fair and reasonable to them.
An individual shareholder’s decision voting on resolutions relating to the Joint Venture may be
influenced by their particular circumstances and, therefore, shareholders should seek independent
advice.
2.3 Basis of Evaluation
As there is no legal definition of the expression fair and reasonable in the Corporations Act 2001
Cth (the “Act”), we have therefore considered guidance provided by ASIC in its RGs in assessing
whether the Proposed Transaction is fair and reasonable from the perspective of the Non-
Associated Shareholders. Specifically, we will have regard to the provisions of the following:
— RG 111: Content of Expert Reports;
— RG 112: Independence of Experts; and
— RG 76: Related party transactions.
RG 111 suggests that, where an expert assesses whether a related party transaction is “fair and
reasonable” for the purposes of ASX Listing Rule 10.1, this should not be applied as a composite
test. That is, there should be a separate assessment of whether the transaction is “fair” and
19
“reasonable”, as in a control transaction. An expert should not assess whether the transaction is
“fair and reasonable” based simply on a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the
proposal.
We do not consider the Joint Venture to be a control transaction. As such, we have used RG 111
as a guide for our analysis but have considered the Joint Venture as if it were not a control
transaction.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair to the Non-Associated
Shareholders, we have considered the following:
— whether, in all material aspects, the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint
Venture are equivalent or an improvement on the terms that could otherwise have been agreed
at arm’s length between un-related third parties; and
— whether the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are more favourable
to one of the Joint Venture parties than to the other.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair to the Non-Associated
Shareholders, we have also given consideration to RG 76: Related party transactions.
RG 76 sets out ASIC’s guidance regarding disclosure and governance of related party transactions
for public companies and other disclosing entities.
RG 76 provides guidance for companies to consider whether or not transactions with related
parties reflect ‘arm’s length’ terms. RG 76 requires consideration of the following factors:
— how the terms of the transaction compare with comparable arm’s length transactions;
— the nature and content of the bargaining process;
— the impact of the transaction on the company;
— other options available to the company; and
— expert advice received by the entity.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Proposed Transaction is reasonable to the Non-
Associated Shareholders, we have considered the following:
— the advantages and disadvantages to the Non-Associated Shareholders if the Joint Venture is
approved; and
— the advantages and disadvantages to the Non-Associated Shareholders if the Joint Venture is
not approved.
In our opinion, the Joint Venture is to be judged in terms of their overall effect. It is not meaningful
to assess the individual elements of the Joint Venture separately.
2.4 Reliance on Information
This Report is based upon financial and other information provided by Koon and ASL. We have
considered and relied upon this information. We believe the information provided to be reliable,
complete and not misleading, and have no reason to believe that any material facts have been
withheld. The information provided was evaluated through analysis, inquiry and review for the
purpose of forming an opinion as to whether the Joint Venture is fair and reasonable.
20
We do not warrant that our inquiries have identified or verified all of the matters which an audit,
extensive examination or “due diligence” investigation might disclose. In any event, an opinion as
to whether a corporate transaction is fair and reasonable is in the nature of an overall opinion
rather than an audit or detailed investigation.
Where we have relied on the views and judgement of management the information was also
evaluated through analysis, inquiry and review to the extent practical. However, such information
is often not capable of direct external verification or validation. In the context of this Report, the
views not capable of direct external verification or validation related principally to matters such as
the likely future actions of management and/or the likely future behaviour of competitors.
2.5 Prospective Financial Information
The information reviewed included high level prospective financial information with respect to the
Joint Venture. The achievability of the prospective financial information is not warranted or
guaranteed by either Koon, ASL or William Buck.
In our opinion, given the way in which we have used prospective financial information regarding the
Joint Venture in this Report, detailed disclosure of forecasts for the Joint Venture would unduly
focus the attention of this Report on those forecasts, rather than on our opinion of the fairness and
reasonableness of the Joint Venture.
Further, the Directors of Koon are of the view that detailed disclosure of financial forecasts for the
Joint Venture would release commercially sensitive information regarding Koon’s business plans to
competitors and would not be in the interests of Koon or its shareholders.
2.6 Current Market Conditions
Our opinion is based on economic, market and other conditions prevailing at the date of this
Report. Such conditions can change significantly over relatively short periods of time. Accordingly,
changes in those conditions may result in our opinions becoming quickly outdated and in need of
revision. We reserve the right to revise our opinions, in the light of material information existing at
the date of this Report that subsequently becomes known to us.
2.7 Sources of Information
Appendix A to this report sets out details of information referred to and relied upon by us during the
course of preparing this Report and forming our opinion.
Koon has agreed to indemnify William Buck, and its owner practice, their partners, directors,
employees, officers and agents (as applicable) against any claim arising out of misstatements or
omissions in any material supplied by the Company, its subsidiaries, directors or employees, on
which we have relied.
2.8 Assumptions
In forming our opinion, the following has been assumed:
— all relevant parties have complied, and will continue to comply, with all applicable laws and
regulations and existing contracts and there are no alleged or actual material breaches of the
same or disputes (including, but not limited to, legal proceedings), other than as publicly
disclosed and that there has been no formal or informal indication that any relevant party
21
wishes to terminate or materially renegotiate any aspect of any existing contract, agreement or
material understanding, other than as publicly disclosed;
— that matters relating to title and ownership of assets (both tangible and intangible) are in good
standing, and will remain so, and that there are no material legal proceedings, or disputes,
other than as publicly disclosed;
— information in relation to the Joint Venture provided to Koon shareholders or any statutory
authority by the parties is complete, accurate and fairly presented in all material respects;
— the Joint Venture will continue to be operated in accordance with its disclosed terms; and
— the legal mechanisms to implement the Joint Venture are correct and effective.
22
3. Economic and Industry Overview
3.1 Introduction
Koon and ASL have entered into a joint venture to produce and ship pre-cast concrete products to
Singapore. The ongoing success of this venture depends on the overall economic conditions
prevailing in Singapore and in particular the construction industry where the Joint Venture is
expected to generate the majority of its cash flows. As a result, in preparing our Report, we have
given consideration to current expectations with regards to Singaporean economic conditions and
in particular Singapore’s construction sector.
3.2 Overview of General Singaporean Economic Conditions
In preparing this Report, we have considered Singapore’s general economic conditions and the
performance of its building and construction industry. Our observations are based on William
Buck’s review of generally available economic analysis reports published by the Ministry of Trade
and Industry of the Republic of Singapore, Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority
(“BCA”), Singapore’s Ministry of National Developments and relevant economic readings
performed during March 2017.
3.2.1 Singaporean Economic Conditions
During 2016 Singapore’s GDP grew by 2.0%, in line with 2015 growth of 1.9%. 2016 GDP growth
was predominantly driven by strong manufacturing, transportation & storage and other services
industries in the economy. Overall all sectors grew in 2016 with the exception of business services.
Figure 3 – Annual nominal growth in GDP
Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore
Industries which recorded the highest growth in 2016 included Manufacturing (3.6%), Other
Services Industries (3.1%), Transportation & Storage (2.3%) and Information and Communication
(2.3%). The construction sector on other hand expanded only marginally by 0.2% only, due to
weakening private sector construction demand.
Manufacturing growth was driven by the electronics and biometrical manufacturing clusters. Other
Services Industries growth was driven largely by the education, health & social services segment.
Transportation & Storage sector growth was attributable mainly to the water transport segment.
Information and Communication growth was driven by increased broadband as well as a more
profitable 4G subscriptions.
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
3.00%
4.00%
5.00%
6.00%
$350bn
$360bn
$370bn
$380bn
$390bn
$400bn
$410bn
2013 2014 2015 2016
Real GDP Growth in GDP
23
Figure 4 - Contribution to GDP by sector
Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore
Labour market conditions remained sluggish with overall employment increasing moderately by
0.4% (16,400) in 2016 as a result of slower economic growth and the continued slowdown in
foreign manpower growth. The overall unemployment rate increased from 1.9% in 2015 to 2.1% in
2016. The largest contributor of the employment growth in 2016 was from the Other Services
Industries (20,700), followed by Business Services (8,500) and Accommodation & Food Services
(5,500). In contrast the manufacturing and construction sectors experienced job losses at 15,700
and 11,300 respectively.
Consumer Price Index (“CPI” or inflation) in 2016 decreased by 0.5%, similar to 0.5% decrease in
2015. The main component for 0.5% inflation decrease was housing & utilities with prices declining
by 4.1%, attributable to fall in accommodation costs and electricity tariffs which more than offset the
effects of higher housing maintenance charges. Another major contributor to the inflation decrease
was transport costs falling by 2.4% as a result of lower petrol and car prices which outweighed the
effect of higher vehicle repair and maintenance fees. These declines outweighed the positive
contribution from food (price increasing by 2.1%) driven by more expensive hawker food and
restaurant meals. Education costs also increased 3.1% as a result of higher fees at commercial
institutions, universities, polytechnics, kindergartens and childcare centres.
In Finance, the Singapore benchmark interest rate being the three month SIBOR rate saw declining
trend during the first three quarters of 2016 before improving to end at 0.97% in the last quarter of
2016. The interest rate increased to 1.19% in 2015 from a low of 0.46% in 2014, before declining
slightly in 2016. SIBOR is highly correlated to US Federal rates and has increased in the wake of
US presidential elections. The recent increase in US Federal rate might further impact Singapore’s
slowing economy. The higher interest rates could further dampen spending and also companies’
investment plans.
Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry expects the global economic outlook to improve
modestly in 2017, supported by faster pace growth in US and modest key ASEAN economies
growth, even as China’s growth continues to moderate. China’s economy can slow down if its
monetary conditions further tightens.
In light of the continued sustainable domestic demand and developments in the global economies,
Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry expects its economy to grow modestly by 1.0% to 3.0%
in 2017. Externally-oriented sectors such as manufacturing and transportation & storage are likely
to continue to recover and provide support to growth, in tandem with the recovery in global demand
for semiconductors and semiconductor equipment as well as the expected improvement in global
$50bn
$100bn
$150bn
$200bn
$250bn
$300bn
$350bn
$400bn
$450bn
2013 2014 2015 2016
Goods Producing Industries Services Producing Industries
Ownership of Dwellings Taxes on products
24
trade flows. However, the outlook for construction sector is still weak due to drop in contracts
awarded in the last two years, mainly due to sluggish private sector demand.
3.3 Singaporean Building and Construction Industry
3.3.1 Overview of Singaporean Building and Construction Industry
The building and construction sector in Singapore plays a critical role in the development of the
Singaporean economy. The country’s densely built urban environment with limited space and
natural resources has been a catalyst for the government to continually roll out initiatives to
address the issues of efficient raw material usage and innovative production processes. The BCA
is responsible for the development, innovation and sustainability of this industry and offers a range
of incentives to encourage businesses.
From 2013 to 2016 annual growth in the construction sector has seen a declining trend shrinking to
0.2% growth rate in 2016 after growing at 6.6% in 2014. 2016 was the second consecutive year of
decline in annual growth rate, after a reduced 3.9% growth in 2015. This has been mainly due to
weakness in private sector construction demand and activity which shrank as a result of decline in
private residential and private industrial works. However as a percentage of overall GDP, the
construction sector has maintained an average of 4.7% annually during the 2013 to 2016 period.
The graph below shows the relative size of the construction sector and the proportion of GDP from
2013 to 2016.
Figure 5 - Construction performance
Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore
Growth of the construction industry is measured by the performance of the two key construction
indicators: the level of construction demand and the level of construction activity. The level of
construction demand measures the value of contracts awarded by both the public and private
sectors and the level of construction activity measures the value of output using the value of
payments made as a proxy. The levels of contracts awarded and payments for the construction
industry are shown in the figure below.
4.10%
4.20%
4.30%
4.40%
4.50%
4.60%
4.70%
4.80%
4.90%
5.00%
$1bn
$2bn
$3bn
$4bn
$5bn
$6bn
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Construction Construction as a proportion of GDP
2013 2014 2015 2016
25
Figure 6 - Building and construction activity by sector
Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore
Construction demand contracted by 3.6% to S$26 billion in 2016 due to weakness in private sector
construction demand. The private sector construction demand shrank by 25% ($4 billion) in 2016
largely due to declining demand for residential, industrial, institutional and other building works. In
contrast the contracts awarded for commercial developments (such as Woods Square) provided
some support.
This was offset by public sector demand which increased by 19% to reach $16 billion in 2016,
driven by a surge in demand for civil engineering works such as the Thomson-east Coast Line
(TEL), among others. In contrast the demand for public building works declined mainly in
residential, industrial and institutional and other segments, similar to decline witnessed in private
sector.
Construction activity (measured by output value or payments) contracted by 3.7% to $35 billion,
primarily due to a decline in overall residential building works. The public sector construction output
increased by 7.3%, largely supported by strong onsite construction activities for industrial,
institutional and civil engineering activities. Major public sector projects under construction included
the expansion of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal (Phase 3), Sengkang General and
Community Hospital, TEL, and land preparation works for Changi Airport. In contrast the private
sector construction output fell by 12% in 2016 due to lower output from residential and industrial
building works.
BCA forecasts total construction demand in 2017 to be between $28 billion and $35 billion.
Demand from the public sector is expected to strengthen to between $20 billion and $24 billion,
contributing to approximately 70% of projected total construction demand. The boost to overall
demand is likely to come from anticipated increase in demand for building construction works and
civil engineering works. On the other hand, private sector demand is projected to soften to between
$8 billion and $11 billion due to the weakness in the property market and continued economic
uncertainties. Total construction output in 2017 is projected to moderate to between $30 billion and
$32 billion, due to slowdown in construction demand since 2015.
$5bn
$10bn
$15bn
$20bn
$25bn
2013 2014 2015 2016
Contracts awarded - Public Contracts awarded - Private
Certified payments - Public Certified payments - Private
26
4. Profile of Koon Holdings Limited
4.1 Background and Activities
Koon Holdings Limited (“Koon” or the “Company”) was incorporated on 9 April 2003 and was
listed on the ASX (ASX: KNH) and SGX (SGX: 5DL) on 11 July 2003 and 21 July 2003
respectively. Koon’s principal business activities comprise of providing engineering and
construction services, machinery and equipment rental and precast concrete work in Asia together
with the supply of energy within the Australian market.
The Company is one of the leading infrastructure and civil engineering service providers in
Singapore and has accumulated more than four decades of experience and expertise in providing
comprehensive solutions to its customers in infrastructure, construction and offshore industries.
4.2 Business Operations
Koon’s operations are divided into three core business divisions, being Infrastructure Construction
and Civil Engineering, Precast Concrete Work, and Electric Power Generation.
4.2.1 Infrastructure Construction and Civil Engineering division
Koon is engaged in a wide range of infrastructure and civil engineering services, from infrastructure
works such as terminal projects, to reclamation works such as shore protection.
The Company is registered under the A1 category in civil engineering with the BCA which allows
tendering for civil engineering projects of unlimited value in Singapore. This status is testament to
Koon’s niche expertise and capabilities in the infrastructure construction and civil engineering
space and the Company has successful partnered with other well-known infrastructure and
construction companies to secure projects domestically and regionally.
4.2.2 Precast Concrete Work division
The Company manufactures and markets a comprehensive range of precast products ranging from
standard reinforced concrete piles to other more complex products such as prefabricated toilets,
space adding items, staircase flights integrated with wall and mid landing, facades with cast-in
window frames and planter boxes. Koon has the highest grading (L6) from the BCA, enabling it to
tender for precast works of unlimited value.
4.2.3 Electric Power Generation division
The investment in Tesla, an energy infrastructure company, provides the Group a direct channel
into the growing energy market in Australia.
Koon is also certified under ISO standards which covers quality (ISO9001:2008), Environmental
(ISO 14001:2004) and occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001:2007).
27
4.3 Board of Directors
Koon’s Board of Directors is shown in the table below.
Table 3 – Koon Board of Directors
Source: Koon Holding’s website
*Ang Sin Liu and Ang Ah Nui together are controlling shareholders in ASL.
4.4 Capital Structure
Koon’s capital structure as at 20 March 2017 comprises of 263,097,800 fully paid ordinary shares.
The top 20 largest shareholders are listed in the table below.
Table 4 - Shareholders of Koon
Source: Information provided by management
Note: Ang Ah Nui and Ang Sin Liu hold an aggregate interest of 46.58% and 7.09% respectively in Koon (both direct and
deemed)
We note that the top 20 shareholders hold an aggregate interest of nearly 80.64% (direct and
deemed) of issued fully paid ordinary shares in Koon and that Ang Ah Nui holds 46.58% (both
direct and deemed). We understand that there has been no material change in the above details at
the date of this Report.
Name Position Secondary position
Ang Sin Liu* Non-Executive Chairman None
Yuen Kai Wing Managing Director None
Oh Keng Lim Executive Director None
Oh Koon Sun Executive Director None
Ang Ah Nui* Non-Executive Director Member of the Remuneration Committee
Glenda Mary Sorrell-
SaundersNon-Executive and Independent Director
Chairman of the Nominating Committee and a member of the
Audit & Risk and Remuneration Committees
Ko Chuan Aun Non-Executive and Independent DirectorChairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the
Audit & Risk and Nominating Committees
Heather Chong Non-Executive and Independent DirectorChairman of the Audit & Risk Committee and a member of the
Nominating Committee
Security holder Shares % Interest
Ang, Ah Nui 77,571,819 29.48%
CMB Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. 45,809,010 17.41%
United Overseas Bank Nominees (Private) Limited 18,746,800 7.13%
SAMSU 12,000,000 4.56%
Oh, Keng Lim 10,159,996 3.86%
Oh, Lian Ling 7,238,487 2.75%
Oh, Koon Sun 7,205,378 2.74%
Ang, Jui Khoon 4,276,700 1.63%
Ong, Soh Hoon 4,000,000 1.52%
Ong, Lye Beng 3,344,024 1.27%
Phillip Securities Pte Ltd 3,098,010 1.18%
Yeo, See Tee 3,000,000 1.14%
Harry Oh Tuay Kee 2,966,000 1.13%
Maybank Kim Eng Securities Pte. Ltd., Brokerage and Securities Investments 2,514,800 0.96%
Aw Kim Beng 2,323,000 0.88%
Lim, Pang Hern 1,894,000 0.72%
Tee, Sw ee Kheng 1,758,196 0.67%
Lau, Koi Fong 1,580,800 0.60%
Tan, Tong Guan 1,400,000 0.53%
Kim Hock Bee Marine Pte Ltd 1,280,000 0.49%
Others 50,930,780 19.36%
Total 263,097,800 100.00%
28
4.5 Corporate Structure
The corporate structure of Koon is shown below.
Table 5 – Koon’s corporate structure
Source: Information provided by Management
Ownership
interestCompany name
Ownership
interestCompany name
100% Koon Construction & Transport Co Pte Ltd 50% Koon Zinkcon Pte Ltd
37.5% Jurong & Tuas Rock Contractors JV (75% owned by Koon Zinkon Pte Ltd)
50% Mesco (B) Sdn Bhd
5% Penta-Ocean/Koon/Hyundai/ Van Oord Joint Venture - JV 1
20% Penta-Ocean/Koon-Ham-Dredging International-Boskalis Joint Venture - JV 2
20% Penta-Ocean/Koon/Dredging International/Boskalis/Ham Joint Venture - JV 3
20% Penta-Ocean/Hyundai/Koon Joint Venture - JV 4
20% Penta-Ocean/Koon Joint Venture - JV 5
50% POC - K Joint Venture - JV 6
100% Koon Construction & Transport Sdn Bhd
67% PT.Koon Construction Indonesia
100% Entire Construction Pte Ltd NA NA
100% Entire Engineering Pte Ltd NA NA
100% Reem Island Pte Ltd NA NA
100% Koon Properties Pte Ltd 100% Metro Coast Sdn Bhd
100% Seven Star Development Sdn Bhd
100% Triumph Heights Sdn Bhd
100% Unison Progress Sdn Bhd
100% Econ Precast Pte Ltd 100% Econ Precast Sdn Bhd
100% Contech Precast Pte Ltd
100% Bukit Intan Pte Ltd
50% Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd (50% owned by ASL)
50%
PT Sindomas Precast -
(90% held by Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd, 5% by Econ Precast Pte Ltd, 5% by ASL
Marine Holdings Group)
74.1% Tesla Holdings Pty Ltd 100% Tesla Corporation Management Pty Ltd
100% Tesla Corporation Pty Ltd
100% Tesla Geraldton Pty Ltd
100% Tesla Kemerton Pty Ltd
100% Tesla Northam Pty Ltd
Koon's Direct Investment Investment through Subsidiary
29
4.6 Financial Performance
Details of Koon’s financial performance based on its audited accounts for the year ended 31
December 2014, 2015 and 2016 are set out below.
Table 6 – Koon’s Financial Performance
Source: Koon Annual Report 31 December 2015 and full year financial statements for 31 December 2016
We note the following in relation to Koon’s historical financial performance:
— FY16 revenue decreased by $33.6m (14.2%) mainly due to to the poor performance of its
Construction and Precast divisions. Construction revenue fell by $16.2m (9.4%) in FY16 due to
fewer projects completed during the year. Precast division revenues declined significantly by
$49.7m (50.8%) due to lower volume of precast product sales in 2016.
— The Precast division had major orders delivered in FY15 for certain projects including supply to
the land preparation works for airport development and construction of a container stacking
yard at PSA Pasir Panjang Terminal. FY15 revenue from this division as a result had increased
by $25.3m (34.9%). Since the projects were substantially completed in FY15, there was
significant decline in FY16 sales volume.
— Koon’s gross profit margin declined from 16.26% in FY14 to 15.2% in FY15. This decline was
attributable mainly to the lower gross profit from Electric Power Generation division due to
lower revenue and additional costs. The gross profit margin for FY16 further declined to
10.07% as a result of lower gross profit recorded by its Precast division, owing to the division’s
sales volume below the breakeven level.
— Net profit margin before tax declined from 4.06% in FY14 to 0.75% in FY16. The decline in
FY16 was mainly due to significant decline in gross margin as mentioned above. The other
factors impacting change in net profit margin before tax are as follows:
— Distribution expenses increased by $3.2m (62%) in FY15 due to higher delivery and
handling costs incurred by Precast division. However this decreased by $6.9m in FY16 as
a result of above mentioned lower revenue of the Precast division in FY16 and also partly
due to transportation costs being recorded under Sindo-Econ Pte. Ltd., effective from the
2014
S$'000
2015
S$'000
2016
S$'000
Revenue 163,917 236,342 202,726
Cost of sales (137,271) (200,415) (182,303)
Gross profit 26,646 35,927 20,423
Gross profit margin 16.26% 15.20% 10.07%
Other income 3,796 1,542 2,515
Distribution expenses (5,308) (8,596) (1,642)
Administrative expenses (17,472) (21,114) (15,422)
Finance costs (1,888) (2,615) (2,836)
Share of profit/(loss) of joint venture and associates 882 3,492 (1,527)
Profit/(loss) before income tax 6,656 8,636 1,511
Net proft margin before tax 4.06% 3.65% 0.75%
Income tax expense (348) (889) 165
Profit/(loss) for the year 6,308 7,747 1,676
Profit for the year from discontinued operations - - -
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
Fair value gain/ (loss) on available for sale investments 193 212 -
Exchange rate difference on translation of foreign operations (1,541) (2,875) (114)
Total comprehensive inome/(loss) for the year 4,960 5,084 1,562
Year ended 31 December
30
last quarter of FY16 due to a change in the terms of the Joint Venture in the last quarter of
FY16;
— The decline of $5.7m in administrative expenses in FY16 is attributable mainly to goodwill
impairment of $3.5m provided in FY15 for the Electric Power Generation division and other
expenses being lower in FY16;
— The finance cost increased by $727k (38.5%) in FY15 due to increase in borrowings for
purchase of property, plant and equipment for the Construction division; and
— Koon reported a share of loss of $1.5m in FY16 from investment in joint ventures and
associates as against profit share of $3.5m in FY15. This loss in FY16 is attributable to
50% share of loss from the precast operation at Batam Indonesia under Sindo-Econ Pte.
Ltd. and its Indonesia subsidiary PT Sindomas Precas due to lower sales of precast
products. The loss also included 67% share of start-up loss of $0.1m from PT Koon
Construction Indonesia, a joint venture newly incorporated in Indonesia under the
Construction division.
4.7 Financial Position
Set out below is a summary of Koon’s financial position based on its audited accounts for the years
ended 31 December 2014, 2015 and 2016. Balances are denominated in Singaporean dollars.
31
Table 7 – Koon’s financial position
Source: Koon Annual Report 31 December 2015 and full year financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2016
We note the following in relation to Koon’s historical financial position:
— Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $11.7m in FY16 primarily due to increase in trade
and other receivables by $9.8m and increase in property, plant and equipment by $4.6m;
— Trade and other receivables increased by $9.8m in FY16 as a result of increases in receivables
from Sindo-Econ, Koon’s 50% joint venture;
2014
S$'000
2015
S$'000
2016
S$'000
Cash and cash equivalents 17,094 26,702 14,997
Pledged fixed deposits 800 194 197
Trade and other receivables 53,343 53,307 63,089
Inventories 6,873 8,591 3,403
Contract Work in progress 10,334 23,744 21,695
Held for trading investments 36 30 26
Total current assets 88,480 112,568 103,407
Other receivables 239 116 117
Development properties 16,388 14,188 13,885
Joint Ventures 1,332 4,971 3,772
Property, plant and equipment 61,152 99,015 103,632
Available for sale investments 731 - -
Goodwill on consolidation 3,536 - -
Deferred income tax - - 320
Total non-current assets 83,378 118,290 121,726
Bank loans 21,660 31,211 24,175
Trade and other payables 57,040 69,014 68,913
Contract Work in progress 1,910 8,747 11,238
Finance leases 15,016 12,107 15,278
Income tax payable 528 1,033 634
Total current liabilities 96,154 122,112 120,238
Bank loans 8,920 5,595 2,009
Finance leases 8,681 40,710 40,105
Other payables 89 90 97
Deferred income tax 1,261 919 1,005
Total non-current liabilities 18,951 47,314 43,216
Net assets 56,753 61,432 61,679
Equity
Share capital 25,446 25,446 25,446
Retained profits 21,470 29,461 30,009
Reserves 5,167 2,879 2,719
Non-controlling interests 4,670 3,646 3,505
Total equity 56,753 61,432 61,679
As at 31 December
32
— Inventories in FY16 decreased by $5.2m in relation to decrease in Precast Division and partly
attributable to the inventories at Batam Indonesia being recorded under the Sindo-Econ,
arising from a change in the terms of the Joint Venture;
— PP&E increased significantly in FY15 and FY16 mainly due to purchase of plant and
equipment in order to support the new project requirements under the Construction division.
The increase in FY16 was partially offset by depreciation charges of $21m during the year;
— Non-current portion of finance lease in FY15 increased by $32m mainly to fund the financing of
capital expenditure under the Construction division. This reduced slightly by $600k in FY16;
and
— Current and non-current portion of bank loans decreased by a total of $10.6m during FY16.
4.8 Share Price Trading Performance
As noted in Section 4.1, Koon Holding’s shares are listed and quoted for trading on the ASX.
We have reviewed the historical market trading in Koon’s shares over the 12 months ended 28
February 2017. The figure below sets out the daily share price and trading volume of Koon’s
shares for the 12 months to 28 February 2017.
Figure 7 – Daily Volume and Share Price History
Source: Capital IQ, William Buck’s Analysis
Based on our analysis we note that Koon’s shares are infrequently traded and no active liquid
market exists for its shares.
We have reviewed Koon’s price sensitive announcements released on the ASX over the 12 months
ended December 2016 as set out on the following page:
-
0.00m
0.00m
0.01m
0.01m
0.01m
0.01m
0.01m
$0.06
$0.08
$0.10
$0.12
$0.14
$0.16
$0.18
$0.20
ASX: KNH Volume ASX: KNH Share Pricing
33
Table 8 – Koon’s Price Sensitive Announcements
Date Announcement
30-August-2016 Interim Financial Report - 30 June 2016
30-August-2016 Appendix 4D - Half-year ended 30 June 2016
29-April-2016 Results of AGM
04-April-2016 SGX Dividend Announcement
01-April-2016 Dividend/Distribution - KNH
31-March-2016 FY15 Annual Report
29-March-2016 Annual Financial Statements 31 December 2015
25-February-2016 Appendix 4E and Full-Year Financial Statements
Source: ASX
34
5. Profile of ASL Marine Holdings Ltd
5.1 Background
ASL is a Singaporean marine services group principally engaged in shipping, marine logistics and
other related services for customers in Asia Pacific, South Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle
East.
ASL is headquartered in Singapore and was listed on SGX on 17 March 2003.
5.2 Business operations
ASL’s operations are divided into five segments, being shipbuilding, ship repair and conversion,
ship chartering and rental, engineering and investment holding.
5.2.1 Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is ASL’s largest service by revenue and operating profit. ASL has an established track
record for building specialised niche vessels such as:
— Offshore support vessels: heavy-lift pipelay, subsea operations, anchor handling towing supply,
platform supply, maintenance, accommodation, rescue and standby;
— Dredgers: cutter suction and water injection;
— Barges: accommodation, pipe laying and work; and
— Commercial vessels: chemical tanker, bunkering tanker, product tanker.
ASL performs its shipbuilding activities through four shipyards, with two in Batam Indonesia, one in
Singapore and another in Guangdong, China.
ASL experienced difficult trading conditions in FY14 and FY15 due to deterioration in Singapore’s
oil and gas industry. During FY14 and FY15, ASL had major shipbuilding contracts for three
offshore support vessels (“OSV”) cancelled by the oil and gas exploration companies. One of the
vessels cancelled was scheduled for delivery in last quarter of FY14 and the remaining two in the
first and third quarter of FY15, respectively. These cancellations resulted in reversal of shipbuilding
revenue in both FY14 and FY15 however, FY15 revenues were most affected.
Consistent with market practise, ASL was not protected by guarantees for the cancelled vessel
orders, allowing customers to cancel orders with few significant penalties.
5.2.2 Ship repair and conversion
ASL provides a range of repair and conversion services including retrofitting, life-extension and
repair of various types of vessels.
35
5.2.3 Ship chartering
ASL owns a fleet of 229 vessels consisting mainly barges, towing tugs, anchor handling tugs,
anchor handling towing, supply vessels and other vessels.
ASL’s customers are from industries such as offshore oil and gas, marine infrastructure, dredging,
land reclamation and marine transportation and are deployed in locations such as Singapore,
Indonesia, Australia and other South East Asian countries.
5.2.4 Engineering
ASL provides engineering services ranging from the supply of dredging equipment to the project
management of dredge construction.
5.3 Board of Directors
ASL’s Board of Directors is shown below.
Table 9 - ASL Board of Directors
Source: ASL Marine Holding’s website *Ang Ah Nui is on the Board of Directors of Koon Holdings Limited.
5.4 Capital Structure
ASL’s capital structure as at the date of this Report comprises of 629,266,941 fully paid ordinary
shares. The top 6 shareholders are listed below.
Table 10 - Shareholders of ASL
Source: Information provided by Management
Note: Ang Sin Liu and Ang Ah Nui together hold an aggregate interest of 25.58% (both direct and deemed) in ASL
We note that the top 6 shareholders currently hold an aggregate interest of 67.2% (direct and
deemed) of issued fully paid ordinary shares in ASL and Ang Ah Nui holds the largest share.
Name Position
Ang Kok Tian Chairman and Managing Director
Ang Ah Nui* Deputy Managing Director
Ang Kok Eng Executive Director
Ang Kok Leong Executive Director
Andre Yeap Poh Leong Independent Director
Christopher Chong Meng Tak Independent Director
Tan Sek Khee Independent Director
Security holder Shares % Interest
Ang, Kok Tian 88,162,800 14.01%
Ang, Kok Eng 73,799,100 11.73%
Ang, Kok Leong 72,841,500 11.58%
Ang, Sin Liu 58,633,350 9.32%
Ang, Sw ee Kuan 27,195,000 4.32%
Ang, Ah Nui 15,660,000 2.49%
Others 292,975,191 46.56%
Total 629,266,941 100.00%
36
Furthermore Ang Ah Nui is also the largest shareholder in Koon and ASL’s top six shareholders are
relatives and are deemed to have an interest in the shares held by the other. We understand that
there has been no material change in the above details to the date of this Report.
5.5 Corporate Structure
The corporate structure of ASL is shown below.
Table 11 – ASL’s corporate structure
Source: Information provided by Management
Divisions Ownership interest Company name
Ship building and ship repair 100% ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd
100% PT. ASL Shipyard Indonesia
60% Hongda Investments Pte Ltd
60% Jiang Men Hongda Shipyard Ltd
100% Intan Overseas Investments Pte Ltd
100% PT Cemara Intan Shipyard
100% PT Sukses Shipyard Indonesia
Ship chartering 100% ASL Offshore & Marine Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Marine Pte Ltd
75% PT. Cipta Nusantara Abadi
100% PT Bina Kontinental Lestari
100% PT. Aw ak Samudera Transportasi
100% Capitol Offshore Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Shipping Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Tug & Barge Pte Ltd
100% Lightmode Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Logistics Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Navigation Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Aquaria Pte Ltd
100% Capitol Oceans Pte Ltd
100% ASL Maritime Services Pte Ltd
100% Intan Maritime Investments Pte Ltd
100% Intan Synergy Pte Ltd
100% Intan Offshore Pte Ltd
100% Intan Oceans Pte Ltd
100% Intan Scorpio Pte Ltd
100% Intan OSV Pte Ltd
60% Offshore Pte Ltd
100% Harmony PSV-Pte Ltd
100% ASL Leo Pte Ltd
100% ASL Marine Contractor Pte Ltd
100% ASL Project Logistics Pte Ltd
100% ASL Tow age & Sajvage Pte Ltd
Jointly controlled entities/associates 50% HKR-ASL Joint Venture Limited
45% Fastcoat Industries Pte Ltd
45% PT. Fastcoat Industries
36% PT. Capitol Nusantara Indonesia
49% PT. Hafar Capitol Nusantara
50% Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd
Engineering 100% Singa Tenaga Investments Pte Ltd
100% Leo Dynamische Investering B.V.
100% Vosta LMG IP & Softw are B.V.
100% Vosta LMG International B.V.
100% Vosta LMG Design GmbH
100% Vosta LMG B.V.
100% Vosta Inc
100% CFT Nertherlands
100% Vosta LMG Dredges B.V.
100% Vosta LMG Components & Services B.V.
100% Vosta LMG India Pvt Ltd
100% Vosta LMG (Zhuhai) Ltd
100% Vosta LMG (Asia Pacif ic) Pte Ltd
37
5.6 Financial Performance
Details of ASL’s financial performance based on its audited accounts for the year ended 30 June
2014, 2015, 2016 and the six months ending 31 December 2016 are set out below:
Table 12 – Financial Performance
Source: ASL Annual Report for 30 June 2015 and 2016 and ASL’s Interim Financial Report for the half year ended 31
December 2016
We note the following in relation to ASL’s historical financial performance:
— ASL’s revenue declined by $325m (64%) in FY15 mainly due to a $308m decline in
shipbuilding revenue following the cancellation of orders for vessels noted in Section 5.2.1.
Shipbuilding revenue was negative $30m in FY15 due to reversals of revenue necessitated by
cancelled orders.
— The significant increase in FY16 revenue is attributable to the following divisional results:
— Shipbuilding revenue increased significantly to $189m (from a negative $30.2m in FY15)
as a result of progressive recognition of tugs, barges and tankers and absence of the
reversal of revenue experienced in FY15 in relation to cancelled OSV contracts. ASL is
now focused on delivering more tugs and barges in preference to non-OSV shipbuilding
contracts;
— Shiprepair and Conversion revenues fell by $34.6m (35.9%) mainly due to the absence of
large rig repair work;
— ASL also reported a decrease in revenue by $18.6m (40.3%) from its engineering segment
due to absence of orders for new shipbuilding projects and also lower orders for spare
parts and cutting/ coupling products; and
— Shipchartering revenue increased by $14m (19.7%) mainly due to increased demand for
tug boats, grab dredgers and hopper barges from domestic marine infrastructure project
customers.
— In relation to ASL’s historical gross profit:
— Gross profit margin increased from 11.54% in FY14 to 20.69% in FY15 due to strong
margin contribution from business segments not affected by the cancellation of OSV
orders; and
— FY16 gross profit increased as a result of increase in shipbuilding revenue offset by lower
margin contributions from shiprepair, shipchartering and engineering segments. FY16
gross profit margin fell to 13.85% due primarily to ASL’s shipchartering segment for which
2014
S$'000
2015
S$'000
2016
S$'000
Revenue 509,797 184,156 364,439 180,356
Cost of sales (450,969) (146,059) (313,977) (157,209)
Gross profit 58,828 38,097 50,462 23,147
Gross profit margin 11.54% 20.69% 13.85% 12.83%
Other income 11,072 10,664 5,532 2,641
Administrative expenses (32,538) (25,609) (23,368) (11,005)
Other operating costs (1,319) (2,799) (9,727) (1,646)
Finance costs (13,764) (15,624) (19,126) (9,175)
Share of profit/(loss) from joint ventures and associates 3,860 3,882 (3,253) (1,456)
Profit/(loss) before income tax 26,139 8,611 520 2,506
Net proft margin before tax 5.13% 4.68% 0.14% 1.39%
Income tax expense (5,376) (1,150) 423 (1,697)
Profit/(loss) for the year 20,763 7,461 943 809
Year ended 30 June Six months ended
31 December 2016
S$'000
38
gross profit margin fell from 14.5% in FY15 to 3.3% in FY16 due to lower demand and drop
in charter rates from OSVs together with lower utilisation rate of it’s fleet.
— ASL’s net profit margin before tax decreased from 5.1% in FY14 to 0.1% in FY16 due to the
following reasons –
— Other income reduced from a high of $11m in FY14 to $5.5m in FY16 due to lower gain
realised on disposal of vessels;
— Other operating costs increased by $1.5m in FY15 and then by $6.9m in FY16. The
increase in FY16 was a result of higher allowance for impairment of doubtful receivables
over FY15 and impairment loss on vessels held as inventories and property or property
and equipment;
— Finance costs also increased from $13.5m in FY14 to $19.1m in FY16 mainly due to
increase in borrowings for vessels and yard financing as well as rising interest rates;
— ASL reported a profit of $3.8m each during FY14 and FY15 from investment in joint
ventures and associates. However in FY16, it reported a share of loss of $3.2m primarily in
relation to ASL’s share of losses of the Joint Venture.
— Revenue for the six months ended 31 December 2016 increased by $4.7m (2.7%) in
comparison to the corresponding period ended 31 December 2015 primarily due to higher
revenue from ASL’s shipchartering segment as a result of the commencement of large marine
infrastructure projects in Singapore and South Asia in the last quarter of FY16.
— Gross profit for the six months ended 31 December 2016 decreased by $4.8m (32.5%) over
the corresponding six month period primarily due to higher costs for ASL’s shipbuilding
segment in relation to overruns in subcontractors cost for the construction of certain OSVs and
barges.
5.7 Financial Position
Set out below is a summary of ASL’s financial position based on its audited accounts for the year
ended 30 June 2014, 2015 and 2016 and unaudited accounts for the half year ended 31 December
2016. Balances are denominated in Singaporean dollars.
39
Table 13 – ASL - Financial Position
Source: ASL Annual Report for 30 June 2015 and 2016 and ASL’s Interim Financial Report for the half year ended 31
December 2016
We note the following in relation to significant movement in ASL’s FY15 and FY16:
— Cash and bank balances have decreased significantly in FY16 due to reduced cash flow from
operating activities in relation to the increased inventories and construction work-in-progress
(net of progressive billings);
— Trade and other receivables decreased in FY15 as a result of lower progress billings for
shipbuilding projects;
— Inventories increased significantly in FY15 as a result of construction costs of the three
offshore support vessels, the contracts for which were cancelled by buyers in FY14 and FY15.
The further increase in FY16 was due to costs incurred for progressive building of certain
vessels;
2014
S$'000
2015
S$'000
2016
S$'000
Cash and cash equivalents 73,155 77,919 24,710 40,930
Trade and other receivables 287,658 238,907 248,767 218,876
Inventories 72,655 216,876 238,481 242,964
Construction Work in Progress 199,318 48,542 108,958 111,583
Financial assets - 542 963 724
Assets classified as held-for-sale - - 3,708 3,128
Total current assets 632,786 582,786 625,587 618,205
Property, plant & equipment 542,777 582,872 603,114 604,860
Interest in joint ventures and associates 13,375 18,108 14,726 13,840
Other assets 5,817 6,032 14,406 14,922
Intangible assets 22,190 18,674 17,840 17,649
Total non-current assets 584,159 625,686 650,086 651,271
Trust receipts 100,204 68,847 72,196 38,711
Trade and other payables 193,916 180,461 223,371 224,664
Progress billings in excess of construction work-in-progress 35,012 34,625 6,862 9,900
Other liabilities 5,384 3,319 2,864 5,074
Financial liabilities 168,570 152,434 291,621 300,878
Total current liabilities 503,086 439,686 596,914 579,227
Other liabilities 3,746 3,327 9,272 13,905
Financial liabilities 277,035 323,075 229,266 204,783
Deferred income tax 16,570 17,075 15,816 15,663
Total non-current liabilities 297,351 343,477 254,354 234,351
Net assets 416,508 425,309 424,405 455,898
Equity
Share capital 83,092 83,092 83,092 108,056
Treasury shares (923) (923) (923) (923)
Retained earnings and reserves 328,433 337,354 337,465 345,396
Non-controlling interests 5,906 5,786 4,771 3,369
Total equity 416,508 425,309 424,405 455,898
As at 30 June As at
31 December
2016
S$'000
40
— Construction work-in-progress (net of progress billings) decreased significantly in FY15 mainly
due to completion and delivery of vessels and cancellation of the two shipbuilding contracts.
This increased in FY16 as a result of higher project contractual payment terms (ranging from
70-90% on delivery) for certain shipbuilding projects requiring higher work-in-progress build up;
— Assets held for sale in FY16 relates to six pontoons and a crane bridge, which ASL is in
discussions for sale;
— PP&E has increased over the years as a result of purchase of vessels in the normal course of
business;
— Increases in trade and other payables in FY16 relate to higher construction work-in-progress
for shipbuilding and shiprepair projects; and
— Other liabilities increased in 2016 due to advance payment received for a shipchartering
project.
5.8 Share Price Trading Performance
As noted in 5.1, ASL Marine Holding’s shares are listed and quoted for trading on the SGX.
We have reviewed the historical market trading in ASL’s shares over the 12 months ended 28
February 2017. The figure below sets out the daily share price and trading volume of ASL’s shares
for the 12 months to 28 February 2017.
Figure 8 – Daily Volume and Share Price History
Source: Capital IQ, William Buck’s Analysis
Based on our analysis we note that ASL’s shares are frequently traded in low volumes and an
active liquid market exists for its shares.
We have reviewed ASL’s price sensitive announcements released on the SGX over the 12 months
ended 31 December 2016 as set out in the table below:
-
1.00m
2.00m
3.00m
4.00m
5.00m
6.00m
7.00m
$0.05
$0.10
$0.15
$0.20
$0.25
$0.30
$0.35
SGX:A04 Volume SGX:A04 Share Pricing
41
Table 14 – ASL’s Price Sensitive Announcements
Date Announcement
28-November-2016 ASL announces FY2017 first quarter results
28-October-2016 ASL announces incorporation of a wholly owned subsidiary, ASL Towage & Salvage Pte. Ltd.
29-August-2016 ASL announces full year results for FY2016
12-May-2016 ASL announces securing of new contracts worth S$156m
12-May-2016 ASL announces FY2016 third quarter results
04-February-2016 ASL announces FY2016 half yearly results
Source: SGX and William Buck
42
6. Assessment of the terms of the Joint Venture
6.1 Fairness Assessment
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair to the Non-Associated
Shareholders, we have considered the following:
— whether, in all material aspects, the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint
Venture reflect terms that could otherwise have been agreed at arm’s length between un-
related third parties; and
— whether the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are more favourable
to one of the Joint Venture parties than to the other.
In forming our opinion as to whether or not the Joint Venture is fair to the Non-Associated
Shareholders we have also considered ASIC’s guidance provided in RG 76: Related party
transactions.
Our review of the revised terms of the Joint Venture has identified the following key risk areas with
the respect to the fairness of the Joint Venture:
— Corporate structure of the Joint Venture, including the paid-up share capital of Sindo-Econ and
Batam JV, board composition of those entities and voting rights of the investors (“Joint
Venture Corporate and Capital Structure”);
— Adequacy of the 8% agency fee to be retained on external customer sales contracts by Econ
Precast or Contech Precast (“Koon Agency Fee”);
— Whether or not transportation agreements between Sindo-Econ and either ASLOM or Econ
Precast reflect arm’s length terms (“Transportation Agreement Assessment”);
— Whether or not the Land Lease Agreement reflects arm’s length terms (“Land Lease
Agreement Assessment”);
These risk areas are each addressed and concluded on in the remainder of this section.
6.2 Joint Venture Corporate and Capital Structure
There has been no change in the legal or capital structure of the Joint Venture since that which we
opined on in the March 2014 IER.
In the March 2014 IER, we concluded that the key risk with respect to the Joint Venture Corporate
and Capital Structure is the potential for inequality between the Joint Venture parties in the
corporate or capital structure of Sindo-Econ / Batam JV, and found, on review of Sindo-Econ’s
capital structure, voting rights, board representation and funding requirements, no indication of any
inequality between the Joint Venture parties.
We conclude, as at the date of this Report, that the Joint Venture Corporate and Capital Structure
treats the Joint Venture parties equally.
43
6.3 Koon Agency Fee
As set out in Section 1.2.2, Econ Precast or Contech Precast will subcontract production of precast
concrete products to Sindo-Econ (the Joint Venture) on an external customer order-by-order basis.
There is no requirement for Econ Precast or Contech Precast to subcontract precast concrete
production to the Joint Venture.
The subcontracting rate between Econ Precast and the Joint Venture has been revised to 92% of
the contract price agreed between Econ Precast and external customers. In effect, Econ Precast
retains 8% of the external customer contract price as an agency fee (“Koon Agency Fee”).
The rate of the Koon Agency Fee impacts the profitability to Koon of external precast concrete
sales where production is outsourced to the Joint Venture, and the profitability of the Joint Venture
itself. We note that under the original operating terms of the Joint Venture, the agency fee
collected by either Econ Precast or Contech Precast was 10% of the external customer contract
price.
Consistent with our findings set out in Section 3, Koon management has informed us that
construction activity in Singapore has slowed in recent years. In the building sector, Koon’s
precast products are primarily used in the construction of high-rise public housing. Activity in the
public housing construction sector has remained reasonably consistent. However, reduced activity
in the wider construction market has intensified competition in public housing construction resulting
in tightening profit margins in this space for prime contractors. Consequently, Koon has
experienced downward pressure on precast product pricing and has had to consider reducing its
agency fee in order to maintain sufficient profitability in the Joint Venture.
Koon management has also reconfirmed to us that the Koon Agency Fee has been bench-marked
against the agency fee charged by Econ Precast or Contech Precast when these entities
subcontract precast orders to Econ Precast Sdn Bhd, which is Koon’s wholly owned precast
production facility in Malaysia.
In the March 2014 IER, we reviewed forecasts for the Joint Venture prepared by Koon
management which demonstrated that the Koon Agency Fee, given the operating structure of the
original Joint Venture, had been set at a level which maximised Koon profits in relation to external
precast orders subcontracted to the Joint Venture, while ensuring that the Joint Venture remained
sufficiently profitable and able to service interest costs in relation bank financed plant and
equipment purchases. An extract of this analysis, shown on an illustrative basis is set out in the
table below.
44
Table 15 – Analysis Extract from March 2014 IER – Koon Agency Fee and profitability
Source: March 2014 IER
As discussed in Section 1.2.2, the operating structure of the Joint Venture has been revised so that
now Econ Precast or Contech Precast subcontract directly to the Joint Venture. Previously, Econ
Precast or Contech Precast subcontracted to Bukit Intan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Koon, which
in turn subcontracted production of precast products to the Joint Venture and supplied the Joint
Venture with some raw materials and marine freight.
As shown above, the analysis regarding the Koon Agency Fee set out in the March 2014 IER
showed that at a Koon Agency Fee of 10%, Koon (through its subsidiaries) retained approximately
7.8% of the value of sales to external customers, before sharing in the profits / losses of the Joint
Venture.
As discussed above, the operating structure of the Joint Venture has been streamlined so that now
Econ Precast or Contech Precast subcontracts directly to the Joint Venture for an agency fee of
8%. This 8% agency fee is received by Koon before sharing in the profits / losses of the Joint
Venture and is comparable to the estimated 7.8% of external customer sales received by Koon
under the original Joint Venture structure before sharing in the profits / losses of the Joint Venture.
Conclusion
Our view is that the key risk with respect to the Koon Agency Fee is that if set too low, the fee risks
transfer of excess profitability into the Joint Venture, profits of which are then shared on an equal
basis with ASL, rather than being 100% retained by Koon.
Based on the analysis set out above, which partly relies on the findings of the March 2014 IER,
Koon appears no worse off with the reduction in the Koon Agency Fee from 10% to 8%, given the
other changes noted to the operation of the Joint Venture.
r = 8% r = 9% r = 10% r = 11% r = 12%
Econ Precast contract revenue S$X / m3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Initial Subcontract Price (1 - r) * S$X 92.0 91.0 90.0 89.0 88.0
Bukit Intan cost of sales
Raw materials purchases (42.5) (42.5) (42.5) (42.5) (42.5)
ASLOM freight charges (11.6) (11.6) (11.6) (11.6) (11.6)
S$Y 37.9 36.9 35.9 34.9 33.9
Production Subcontract Price 97% * S$Y (36.8) (35.8) (34.8) (33.9) (32.9)
JV Agency Fee 8% * S$Y (2.9) (2.9) (2.8) (2.7) (2.6)
Other Bukit Intan costs (0.5) (0.5) (0.5) (0.5) (0.5)
5.7 6.7 7.8 8.8 9.9
Consolidated Econ Precast / Bukit
Intan contract profit
P&L Description Basis
Pro-forma P&L (S$)
Initial Subcontract Price after raw
materials and freight
45
6.4 Transportation Agreement Assessment
As discussed in Section 1, ASLOM has provided marine transport to the Joint Venture since 1
August 2013. ASLOM is a wholly owned subsidiary of ASL. Additionally, Econ Precast, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Koon, also began providing marine transport to the Joint Venture in January
2017.
Our primary concern regarding the Transportation Agreements relates to whether or not the
agreements reflect terms no worse than the Joint Venture would have been able to obtain in the
market, dealing with an unrelated third party. Non-arm’s length shipping terms could otherwise be
a mechanism by which value is unfairly transferred from one Joint Venture party to the other.
This concern is mitigated to a large extent by the fact that wholly owned subsidiaries of both Koon
and ASL are now providing marine transport to the Joint Venture on identical terms and pricing.
Koon management estimates that ASLOM and Econ Precast will each provide approximately 50%
of the Joint Venture’s marine transport requirements.
Historically, ASLOM has transported cargo on behalf of the Joint Venture between Singapore and
Batam (and between Batam and Singapore) at a rate of S$800 per trailer. We understand that a
“trailer” holds between 30 and 40 Revenue Tonnes (“RT”). ASLOM utilises specially designed and
constructed ships called landing craft tanks (“LCT”) on to which semi-trailers loaded with precast
products can be driven on and off directly. This method of precast product transport achieves
significant goods handling cost savings, enabling ASLOM to offer shipping freight logistics services
at lower costs than other shipping providers.
For the purposes of preparation of this Report, Koon obtained quotes from independent third party
shipping and freight logistics companies for transport of cargo (raw materials and precast concrete
products) in between Singapore and Batam. These quotes are summarised in the table below.
Koon management confirmed that the shipping quotes were obtained from independent third
parties with no knowledge of the terms of the ASL Transportation Agreement.
A summary of these quotes and comparison to the pricing set out in the Transportation
Agreements is set out below.
Table 16 – Transportation Agreements and third party shipping quotes
Source: Shipping quotes obtained by Koon management
For both shipping quotes set out above, the per trailer comparison rate was calculated based on
the estimated number of RTs per trailer, multiplied by the highest rate per RT provided by the quote
provider.
In both instances the range of rates per trailer provided by the comparable quote providers was
considerably higher than the per trailer rate being charged by ASLOM and Econ Precast.
Singapore to
Batam
Batam to
Singapore
S$ / RT S$ / RT 30 RT / Trailer 40 RT / Trailer
Winstar Shipping Pte Ltd 25-Feb-17 S$150.00 S$30.00 S$32.00 S$1,110.00 S$1,430.00
Trans-Orient Shipping Pte Ltd 24-Mar-17 - S$35.00 S$38.00 S$1,140.00 S$1,520.00
Average of comparable shipping quotes S$1,125.00 S$1,475.00
ASLOM shipping quote S$800.00 S$800.00
Shipping Quote ProviderDate of
Quote
Document
Rate
Compare to ASLOM pricing
46
Conclusion
Based on the comparable shipping quotes obtained by Koon, the shipping rates per trailer being
provided by ASLOM and Econ Precast appear to provide the Joint Venture with better pricing than
could otherwise have been obtained by through negotiation with independent third parties.
Additionally, wholly owned subsidiaries of both ASL and Koon now provide marine transport to the
Joint Venture in equal proportions and on identical terms and pricing. This mitigates the risk of
value transfer from one Joint Venture party to the other.
6.5 Land Lease Agreement Assessment
As discussed in Section 1, Batam JV leases land and precast production and processing
workshops from PTCIS, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASL
The first lease agreement between Batam JV and PTCIS was entered into on 2 January 2014 and
was a three year lease in relation to a 41,250m2 site. As summarised below, this initial lease
agreement was revised on 1 July 2015 and was renewed on 10 February 2017. Several other
leases have been entered into recently as the needs of the Joint Venture have expanded.
Table 17 – Summary of Batam JV lease agreements
Source: Signed lease agreements provided by Koon
Our primary concern with respect to the Land Lease Agreements relates to whether or not the
agreements reflect terms no worse than Batam JV would have been able to obtain in the market,
dealing with an unrelated third party.
For the purposes of the March 2014 IER, we utilised the services of KJPP. Sarwono, Indrastuti &
Rekan, a specialist Indonesian public valuers and consultants, to assess a market rate of rent in
relation to the site being leased by Batam JV from PTCIS. A copy of KJPP. Sarwono, Indrastuti &
Rekan’s report, titled ‘Study of Market Rental Vacant Land and Site Improvement’ can be found at
Appendix D of the March 2014 IER.
As set out in the table below, which has been extracted from the March 2014 IER, KJPP. Sarwono,
Indrastuti & Rekan’s assessment of the market rate of rent in relation to the Batam property and
site improvements supported a rate of rent per m2 that was higher than the S$1.50 / m2 / month per
the 2 January 2014 lease agreement.
Area size Rate
Current
monthly
rental
Current
annual
rental
From To m2 S$ / m2 S$ S$
1a 02-Jan-14 Leased premises of 41,250m2 01-Jan-14 31-Dec-16 41,250 1.50
1b 01-Jul-15 Leased premises revised to 62,700m2 01-Jul-15 30-Jun-17 62,700 1.50 94,050 1,128,600
1c 10-Feb-17 Leased premises of 62,700m2 - renewal 01-Jul-17 30-Jun-19 62,700 1.50
2 10-Feb-17 Segment Production Area 01-May-16 30-Apr-18 50,350 1.50 75,525 906,300
3 10-Feb-17 Storage Area for segment 01-May-16 30-Apr-18 7,500 1.50 11,250 135,000
4 10-Feb-17 Wiremesh Processing Workshop 01-May-16 30-Apr-18 3,120 2.00 6,240 74,880
5 10-Feb-17 Segment Production Workshop 01-May-16 30-Apr-18 6,240 2.00 12,480 149,760
Total 129,910 199,545 2,394,540
Rental periodLease
Date of
Lease
Agreement
Description
47
Table 18 – March 2014 IER Extract - KJPP. Sarwono, Indrastuti & Rekan market rent assessment
Source: Extract from March 2014 IER
Subsequent lease agreements, with the excpetion of two leases which are discussed below,
entered into between Batam JV and PTCIS all reference the S$1.50 / m2 rental rate supported by
KJPP. Sarwono, Indrastuti & Rekan’s assessment of the market rate of rent for the Batam site.
Leases 4 and 5 noted above, have been agreed at S$2.00 / m2 rather than S$1.50 / m2. Koon
management has informed us that the higher rate reflects additional plant and equipment provided
with these premises for the precast production process. We note that the leases agreed at a rate
of S$2.00 / m2 represent a low proportion (approximately 9.3% of total site rental costs for Batam
JV.
Conclusion
The majority of site rental cost incurred by the Joint Venture in Batam is consistent with the market
rent assessment provided by KJPP. Sarwono, Indrastuti & Rekan in the March 2014 IER.
Consequently, it does not appear that Batam JV will pay greater than a market rate of rent through
the lease agreements it has entered into with PTCIS.
Land 0.942
Constructed assets:
Crane Beam 0.081
Yard Slab 0.348
Service Road 0.045
Drainage 0.02
Utility infrastructure:
Pipe line system and piping system 0.034
Electrical system 0.034
Prestress bulkhead system 0.074
Gantry crane track system 0.218
Total 1.796
Site rent payable per Land Lease Agreement 1.500
DescriptionS$ / m2 /
month
48
7. Evaluation of the Joint Venture
7.1 Basis of the Evaluation of the Joint Venture
In our opinion, the Joint Venture will be fair and reasonable if:
— in all material aspects, the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are
equivalent or an improvement on the terms that could otherwise have been agreed at arm’s
length between un-related third parties;
— the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are no more favourable to one
of the Joint Venture Parties than to the other;
— on balance, the advantages to the Non-Associated Shareholders of approving the Joint
Venture outweigh the disadvantages; and
— on balance, the disadvantages to the Non-Associated Shareholders of not approving the Joint
Venture outweigh the advantages.
7.2 Assessment of Fairness of the Joint Venture
Based on our analysis, we set out below a summary of our opinions relating to the fairness of the
Joint Venture. Our fairness opinion is focused on an analysis of the following factors:
— whether, in all material aspects, the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint
Venture are equivalent or an improvement on the terms that could otherwise have been agreed
at arm’s length between un-related third parties; and
— whether the legal and commercial terms giving effect to the Joint Venture are more favourable
to one of the Joint Venture parties than to the other.
Table 19 – Joint Venture Fairness Assessment Summary
Identified Areas
of Risk Key Risk Summary of Findings
Joint Venture Corporate
and Capital Structure
(Section 6.2)
— Inequality between the Joint Venture
Parties with regards to capital structure,
voting rights, board representation and
commitment to ongoing funding
requirements of the Joint Venture.
— Our review of Sindo-Econ’s capital
structure, voting rights, board
representation and funding
requirements does not indicate any
inequality between the Joint Venture
parties.
Koon Agency Fee
(Section 6.3)
— The key risk with respect to the Econ
Precast Agency Fee is that if it is set
too low, the fee risks transfer of excess
profitability into the Joint Venture and
consequently, to ASL through ASL’s
interest in the Joint Venture.
— The operating structure of the Joint
Venture has been revised and
streamlined. However, Koon’s interest
in external customer sales has
remained unchanged at around 8%
before sharing in the profit / loss of the
Joint Venture.
— Analysis presented in the March 2014
IER demonstrated that Koon’s agency
fees had been agreed at a level which
maximised profitability to Koon while
maintaining sufficient profitability in the
49
Identified Areas
of Risk Key Risk Summary of Findings
Joint Venture for those entities to
continue as going concerns and
maintain debt serviceability.
Transportation
Agreement Assessment
(Section 6.4)
— Value transfer to either of the Joint
Venture Parties if the Joint Venture
pays higher than a market rate for the
shipping of raw materials to Batam and
finished precast goods from Batam to
Singapore.
— Koon and ASL are now providing
marine transport to the Joint Venture on
identical terms and pricing. Koon
management estimates that ASLOM
and Econ Precast will each provide
approximately 50% of the Joint
Venture’s marine transport
requirements.
— Additionally, comparable shipping
quotes obtained by Koon demonstrate
that the shipping rate per trailer being
charged to the Joint Venture provide
better pricing than could otherwise have
been obtained by through negotiation
with independent third parties.
Land Lease Agreement
Assessment (Section
6.5)
— Value transfer to ASL if the Joint
Venture pays higher than a market
rental for the Batam production site.
— The majority of site rental cost incurred
by the Joint Venture in Batam is
consistent with the market rent
assessment provided by KJPP.
Sarwono, Indrastuti & Rekan in the
March 2014 IER. Consequently, it does
not appear that Batam JV will pay
greater than a market rate of rent
through the lease agreements it has
entered into with PTCIS.
Source: William Buck analysis
Accordingly, in our opinion, the Joint Venture is considered fair from the perspective of the Non-
Associated Shareholders of Koon.
7.3 Assessment of Reasonableness of the Joint Venture
We have considered the following factors in determining whether or not the Joint Venture is
reasonable to the Non-Associated Shareholders of Koon.
7.3.1 Advantages of approving the Joint Venture
The following may be considered advantages of approving the Joint Venture:
— Terms are fair: The terms of the Joint Venture are “fair”;
— Access to additional production capacity: The Joint Venture has significantly increased
Koon’s precast production capacity which Koon uses to service customer demand for precast
products in excess of current production capacity;
50
— Diversification of production capacity: The Joint Venture has resulted in geographical
diversification of Koon’s precast production capacity, reducing reliance on individual production
sites and the risk associated with production issues at individual sites;
— Potential pricing advantage through arrangements with ASL: Particularly with regards to
the Transportation Agreements, the terms at which the Joint Venture will acquire services from
ASL appear favourable in comparison with market rates; and
— Potential to increase market capitalisation: The production capacity to be provided by the
Joint Venture is planned to enable Koon to increase precast revenues and profitability.
Increased precast revenues and profitability may increase Koon’s share price and market
capitalisation.
7.3.2 Disadvantage of approving the Joint Venture
The following may be considered a disadvantage of approving the Joint Venture:
— Sharing of profits: In comparison with Koon’s existing precast production operations which
are wholly owned by Koon, a portion of the profits in relation to sales of precast products
produced by the Joint Venture will be shared with ASL
7.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of not approving the Joint Venture
In our view, the significant advantages or disadvantages of rejecting the Joint Venture include the
reverse of the matters noted above.
7.3.4 Overall conclusion on advantages and disadvantages of the Joint Venture
In our opinion, based on a consideration of the above, the Joint Venture is considered reasonable
from the perspective of the Non-Associated Shareholders of Koon as:
— on balance, the advantages of approving the Joint Venture outweigh the disadvantages of
approving it to the Non-Associated Shareholders; and
— on balance, the disadvantages of rejecting the Joint Venture outweigh the advantages of
rejecting it to the Non-Associated Shareholders.
7.4 Conclusion on Joint Venture
In our opinion the Joint Venture is, on balance, fair and reasonable to the Non-Associated
Shareholders of Koon.
51
8. Qualifications
8.1 Qualifications
William Buck is an authorised representative of William Buck Wealth Advisors (NSW) Pty Ltd which
holds an Australian Financial Services Licence issued by ASIC for giving expert reports pursuant to
the Listing Rules of the ASX and NSX and the Act.
The William Buck personnel responsible for the preparation of this Report are Mr Daniel Coote and
Mr Mark Calvetti.
Mr Daniel Coote is a Director of William Buck, is a Chartered Accountant, and holds Bachelor of
Commerce and Master of Applied Finance degrees from Macquarie University. Mr Coote has over
15 years’ experience in Chartered Accounting and regularly advises clients on corporate
transactions and is experienced in the provision of valuations of shares and businesses for a
variety of applications. Accordingly, Mr Coote has the appropriate experience and professional
qualifications to provide the advice offered.
Mr Mark Calvetti is a Director of William Buck. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and
Finance) degree from the University of Technology, Sydney. Mr Calvetti has over 28 years’
experience in Corporate Finance and has had extensive experience in the areas of mergers and
acquisitions, litigation support, preparation and review of business feasibility studies, financial
investigations, business valuations, independent expert’s reports and due diligence reviews. His
experience covers a wide range of industries for both public and private companies. Accordingly,
Mr Calvetti has the appropriate experience and professional qualifications to provide the advice
offered.
8.2 Independence and Declarations
William Buck is not aware of any matter or circumstance that would preclude it from preparing this
report on the grounds of independence either under regulatory or professional requirements. In
particular, we have had regard to the provisions of applicable pronouncements and other guidance
statements relating to professional independence issued by Australian professional accounting
bodies and ASIC.
William Buck considers itself to be independent in terms of RG 112: Independence of Experts,
issued by ASIC.
William Buck has acted in a similar capacity for Koon in the past but has had no direct prior
dealings with ASL. We are not aware of any matters or relationships that could be regarded as
capable of affecting our ability to provide an unbiased opinion in relation to the Joint Venture.
52
William Buck is entitled to receive a fee for the preparation of this Report of approximately $17,500
plus GST and disbursements. This fee is not contingent on the outcome of the Report. Except for
this fee William Buck has not received and will not receive any pecuniary or other benefit, whether
direct or indirect, for or in connection, with the preparation of this Report and accordingly, does not
have any pecuniary or other interests that could reasonably be regarded as being capable of
affecting its ability to give an unbiased opinion in relation to the Joint Venture.
One draft of this Report was provided to the Directors of Koon for review of factual accuracy, as
opposed to opinions, which are the responsibility of William Buck alone. Certain changes were
made to the report as a result of the circulation of the draft report. However, no changes were
made to the methodology, conclusions or recommendations made to the Non- Associated
Shareholders as a result of issuing the draft reports.
The statements contained in this Report are given in good faith and have been derived from
information believed to be reliable and accurate. We have examined this information and have no
reason to believe that any material factors have been withheld from us.
53
9. Appendices
9.1 Appendix A – Sources of Information
a) Koon and ASL announcements in relation to the terms of the Joint Venture;
b) Draft Notice of Annual General Meeting and Explanatory Memorandum to be issued in relation
to the Joint Venture;
c) Copy of Koon and ASL share registers;
d) Koon and ASL’s annual reports;
e) Historical share trading data for Koon and ASL obtained from Capital IQ;
f) Various agreements between Koon (and its subsidiaries) and ASL (and its subsidiaries) giving
effect to the Joint Venture;
g) Publicly available economic analysis reports published by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and
Industry;
h) Publicly available industry analysis reports published by industry research companies; and
i) Discussions and correspondence with management of Koon.
54
9.2 Appendix B – Abbreviations and Definitions
Term Definition
Act Corporations Act 2001
APES Accounting Professional and Ethical Standard
ASAE Australian Standards on Assurance Assignments
ASIC Australian Investments and Securities Commission
ASL ASL Marine Holdings Ltd
ASL Transportation
Agreement
The shipping transportation agreement between Bukit Intan and
ASLOM
ASLOM ASL Offshore & Marine Pte Ltd
ASRE Australian Standards on Review Assignments
ASX ASX Limited ACN 008 624 691
ASX Listing Rules Rules of ASX which are applicable while the Company
ASX Listing Rule 10 The provisions set out in Chapter 10 of the ASX Listing Rules
AUS Australian Auditing Standards
Batam JV PT Sindomas Precas
BCA Building and Construction Authority of Singapore
Contech Precast Contech Precast Pte Ltd
CPI Consumer Price Index
Directors The directors of Koon
Econ Precast Econ Precast Pte Ltd
Initial Subcontract Price The subcontracting rate between Econ Precast / Contech Precast and
Bukit Intan
IOI Intan Overseas Investments Pte Ltd
Joint Venture The joint venture between Koon and ASL
JV Agreement The joint venture agreement between Koon, Econ Precast, Contech
Precast, Bukit Intan, ASL, ASLOM, PTCIS, Sindo Econ and Batam JV
Koon or the Company Koon Holdings Limited
Land Lease Agreement Land lease agreement signed between Batam JV and PTCIS
LCT Landing craft tanks
NOM Notice of Meeting
Non-Associated
Shareholders
Those shareholders in Koon whose votes are not to be disregarded in
voting on the resolutions relating to the Proposed Transaction
Precast Precast concrete products
55
PTCIS PT Cemara Intan Shipyard
Report This report prepared by William Buck dated 28 March 2017
RG Regulatory Guides issued by ASIC
RG 111 Regulatory Guide 111: Content of Expert Reports
RG 112 Regulatory Guide 112: Independence of Experts
RG 76 Regulatory Guide 76: Related Party Transactions
RT Revenue Tonnes
Shareholders The holders of fully paid ordinary shares in Koon
Shareholders’ Agreement The shareholders agreement between Koon, Econ Precast, ASL and
IOI
Sindo-Econ Sindo-Econ Pte Ltd
William Buck , we, us,
our
William Buck Corporate Advisory Services (NSW) Pty Ltd ACN 133
845 637